Positioning apparatus for dredge pipes



Sept. 8, 1953 POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR DREDGE PIPES Filed July 25, 1951 R. A. BRINKMAN 2,651,122

6 Sheet-Sheet l J? 55 1 v I+ H55 4 Sept. 8, 195 3 R. A. BRINKMANV 2,651,122

POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR DREDGE PIPES I Filed July 25, 1951 I ll /0 I 1| I w 1292- Z41 n w Z75 3 5 /0 72 6 I L I 6/ 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 j jg 229395727071 Sept. 8, 1953 R. \A. BINKMAN POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR DREDGE PIPES Filed July 25, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 p 8, 3 R. A. BRINKMAN 2,651,122

POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR DREDGE PIPES Fil ed July 25 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 8, 1953 R. A. BRINKMAN 2 POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR DREDGE PIPES Filed July 25, 1951 a Sheets-Sheet e Patented Sept. 8, 1953 POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR DREDGE PIPES Roy A. Brinkman, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Construction Aggregates Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application July 25, 1951, Serial No. 238,555

4 Claims.

This invention relates to conveying apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for positioning equipment relative to the side of a ship.

In recent years, land {reclamation and the establishment of stock piles of sand or other free flowing material has become increasingly important. An efficient and economical method for accomplishing the above is to suck a mixture of sand or other free flowing material and water from the bottom of a body of water into hoppers of a sand carrying ship, dewater this sand and transport it to a landing berth where pipe lines on shore are connected to the ship. Water is then added to the sand contained in the hoppers and a mixture of sand and water pumped from the'ship to the desired areas through the pipe lines on shore.

In hydraulically loading the hoppers of a sand carrying ship, the mixture of free flowing material and water is sucked from the bottom of the sea through a long, heavy suction .pipe, ,the lower end of which is located at the bottom of the sea and the upper end connected to an intake opening in the side of the ship. The mixture is then conducted through a pipe leading from the intake opening to a suction pump and from there discharged into the hoppers. When not in use, the suction pipe is disconnected from the intake opening, raised along the ships side and then moved inboard Where it is kept until the ship is ready for reloading, at which time the above procedure is reversed. In the past, the apparatus for positioning this long, heavy pipe and aligning its upper end flush with the intake opening was very cumbersome and its operation time consuming.

This invention provides a greatly improved positioning apparatus, whereby the suction pipe can be rapidly and easily moved outboard, lowered along the ships side, and its upper end aligned flush with the intake opening located in the side of the ship. Further, the positioning apparatus is so adapted as to keep the upper end aligned and flush with the intake opening during the entire loading period so that an actual connection between the upper end of the suction pipe and the intake opening is unnecessary. All

of these operations are accomplished in two separate, sequential steps.

The invention is illustrated in a. preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, elevational view looking toward the side of the ship showing the front of the apparatus with parts removed for purposes of clarity;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken I along line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating the suction pipe in two positions; Y Figure 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view of the upper portion of Figure 2 showing the carriage inan inboard position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, plan view of the apparatus with the carriage in the position of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along line 66 of Figure -5 and showing in addition a fragmentary, diagrammatical view of the winch; and V Figure '7 is a generally horizontal, sectional view taken substantially along line 1 of Figure 5 and showing a portion of the rear of the carriage.

The positioning apparatus consists generally of a way ll) for carrying a movable carriage ll mounted thereon. This way is so mounted on a deck l2 of a sand carrying ship as toextendinwardly froma side l3 of the shipwith one end I5 is mounted on the face M of the carriage and Y a lower portion I! secured to the side 13 of the ship. These portions are divisible from each other so that a plate 44 positioned for travel along the guideway l5 can be moved byappropriate means along the side of the ship in the lower portion I! of the guideway and when located in the upper portion [6, can be moved on the carriage ll inwardly from the side l3. v

Referring to the drawings in greater detail,

the sand carrying ship, portions of which are shown, has a main deck l2, a second deck [2 7 and a side I3 in which is located an intake open ing l8 leading to a suction dredge pump not shown in the drawings. Mounted on the deck l2 of this ship is the way It composed of two parallel I-beams I9 which provide the supportfor the slidably movable carriage ll mounted,

thereon.

As best seen in Figs. 2-5 and '7, the I-beams I9 extend inwardly from the side l3 of theship and at an upward slope therefrom, the lower ends being substantially aligned with the side l3. It is preferred that the angle of slope be such, that gravity will cause the carriage ll toslide downward over the I-beams l9.

Support members 2m, 2 lb, and 210 extending upwardly from decks l2 and [2a together with parallel bracing members 22a, 22b, and 22c extending between the I-beams [9 hold these beams in a rigidly fixed, sloping position and keep them in alignment. In the preferred embodiment, the bracing members are in the form of steel channels, the end portions of which are secured to the I-beams 19 as by welding. Bracing member 22a also supports a sheave block 43 which is secured thereto and contains sheave K,- rotatably mounted on the shaft 43a of the block. The two bracing members 22b and 220, located in the rear portion of the way [0, serve as a support for two parallel, spaced cross channels 23a and 23b which extend therebetween and upon which is mounted the double sheave block: 2L This block contains two sheaves, F and I, rotatably mounted on the sheave shaft 24a. To carry the thrust from the double sheave block 24 to the supporting' member 211') when the positioning apparatus is in operation, parallel channels 25 are provided and extend between bracing members 2221 and 2211, the latter being secured to the supporting member 2lb.

In positioning theI-beams [9, it is preferred that their bottom flanges 26- face the floor of the main deck 12 sothat the carriage H may be adapted to slide over the top flanges 25a of theI-beams l9.

The carriage ll which is slidably mounted on the top flanges 26a of the I-beams i9 is an absolutely rigid frame unit comprised of two identical, triangular shaped frame members, each slidably mounted on the top flanges. 25a of the I-beams l9. Each of these framemembers consist of a base ang-le21w, a front angle 2% extending vertically from thefront end of the base angle 21a, and a rear angle 21c extending between the back endof the base angle 21a and the top end of the front angle Z'Ibf To form a strong, rigid structure, these steel angles are secured at their ends by gussets 28. The frame members are rigidly'held upright in a spaced, parallel relation by a series of horizontallyextending cross members, such as steel angles 29a, 29b and 290, secured to the frame members by gussets 30. Cross members 23c and 2927 form the top and bottom, respectively, of the front of the carriage H and cross member 230: forms the rear of thecarriage.

The absolute rigidity of the carriage frame is due in alarge measure to the triangular shape of the frame members. As a result, the carriage front which carries the heavy upper'end of the suction pipe 3! when in an inboard position remains true as the carriage is moved over the way It) andcan always be aligned with the side l3 of the ship.

As best seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the carriage is slidably mounted on the top flanges 26a of the I-beams [9 by means of channels 32 and 33, atop which are positioned the base angles 21a. It is preferred that soft metal plates 34 such as brass, be inserted between the channels 32 and 33 and the surfaces of the top flanges 26a to reduce friction; In the particular embodiment shown, the plates 31 are secured to the channels 35, secured to gussets 28, extend downwardly below the bottom flanges 26 and are bent under them to prevent the carriage from jumping off the I-beams H! as best seen in Figs. 2 and 5.

Referring to Figs. 2-5 and '7, catch members 360 and 361) are mounted at the rear of the carriage frame H for the purpose of retaining the carriage II in its extreme lower or upper position on the I-beams 19. They are comprised of hook-shaped arms 31a and 31b rigidly secured to a shaft 38"pivotally mounted upon the carriageframe in end bearing plates 33a and 3%, respectively. The catch arms 27a and 21b are rocked manually by means of a lanyard 39 attached to a lever arm 49 secured to the center of the shaft 38 in order to permit the hook portions at'th'e ends of the catch arms 31a and 31b toengage cooperating slots Ma, Mb, die and Aid in the top flanges 26a of the I-beams 19. Thus, the carriage l I may be locked in position relative to the I-beams l3. One pair of slots, Me and did are near the upper ends of the I-beam 19 as seen in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 7' and similar slots 4 lo and 411) are near the low ends of the I-beams- 1-9 to lock the carriage in its lowest position.

Referring to Figs. 1-6, a face plate 42', securedto the front of the carriage H, as by welding,

provides the support for the upper portion" l5 of the guideway E5 in the form of a pair of'cen trally mounted, parallel tracks which extend downwardly along the face plate 42. Slidablymounted between the flanges of the upper tracks: i6 is a fitting plate 34' which carries the upperend of the suction pipe 3| This plate has a hole- 45 about which is an annular spacer secured to the face plate 42. An annular retaining link a 4'! is mounted on the spacer 45, the spacer and retaining link forming an annular groove into which the flange 48 of the suction pipe elbow 43 is adapted toswivel. Thus, the upper end of the suction pipe 31 may be swiveled in a downward direction permitting the low end of this pipe torest on the bottom of the sea while the ship is hydraulically loaded and when in the inboard position, as shown in Fig. 3, the suction pipev 3!".

may be positioned substantially parallel to the deck 12 of the ship. In order to further brace the plate fitting M, a turnbuckle brace 50 is connected between the outer part of the suction pipe elbow 49 and the top of the. plate fitting M;

A single sheave block 5! is secured to the. topportion of the fitting plate 44' above the top ends of' the upper tracks l6. by a bolt 5m which ex tends into the face of the fitting. plate 44. and; serves as a mount for the rotatable sheaveB'.

Mounted above this sheave atop the cross meme. ber 29a of the carriage frame-l l are two sheave blocks 52 and 53 containing sheaves A and C, re

spectively, these sheaves being rotatably mounted All of the above sheaves form a part of the single line pulley system used to move the carriage H on the shafts 52a and 52b of these blocks.

these channels provide the support for the pivotally mounted plate catch 55' having a shoulder receivable in an opening 56 in the face plate 42'." of the carriage H so that it may selectively engage a catch notch 51' in the fitting plate M which in turn is slidable along the upper-tracks.

A spring 58 urges the plate catch member 55 to ward the face plate 42 so that itmay automatical- (See Figs. 5 and 6.) i

double sheave block 60 and the two sheaves E and H are similarly mounted in the double sheave block 6|.

The lower portion I! of the guideway I5 is also comprised of a pair of parallel tracks secured to the side B of the ship at opposite sides of the intake opening [8 and extend upwardly therefrom beyond-the top deck line I2 of the ship to a point slightly abOVe the bottom portion of the face plate 42. These tracks are so mounted as to be in alignment with the upper tracks I6 secured to the face plate 42. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) Thus, when the, carriage is moved from its inboard position as shown in Fig. 3 to its lowest position as shown in Fig. 2 whereby the face plate 42 is aligned with the side l3 of the ship, the" tracks l6 and I! form the guideway l5 along which the fitting plate 44'may slide.

The portion of tracks I! which extend slightly above the lower portion of the face plate 42, serve as a carriage stop and enable rapid, easy alignment of the two divisible pairs of tracks l6 and I1.

'Plate stops 54, secured to the ships side l3 below the intake opening l8 and between the lower tracks I! are so positioned that when the fitting plate 44 rests on the stops, the upper end of the suction pipe 3| is substantially aligned with the intake opening l8 and remains so aligned during hydraulic loading of the ship. It is preferred that the upper and lower tracks [6 and I! be flanged to engage the edges of the fitting plate 44 which is slidably mounted between these tracks. Thus, when the upper end of the. suction pipe 3| is substantially aligned with the intake opening l8, it is also sufiiciently fiush therewith and no connection between the suction pipe 3| and the intake opening I8 is necessary during hydraulic loading. As a result, the upper end of the suction pipe 3! may be moved from an inboard position as indicated in Figure 3 to a position along the side 13 of the ship and then lowered so as to be substantially aligned flush with the intake opening I8 in two separate, sequential steps.

To move the carriage over the I-beams l9 and slide the fitting plate 44 along the upper and lower tracks l6 and i1, respectively, a single line pulley system is preferred. However, this invention is not to be construed as limited to this particular means as other well-known means may be employed. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, one end of the pulley line 65 is attached to the fitting plate 44 by tying it around the keyed pin 56 inserted in the upper part of the fitting plate 44. From this pin the pulley line 65 is passed over and around the following sheaves successively: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K, and from K the line 65 then leads to a drum 61 of the single drum winch 68 (See Figs. 1-7). As described above, sheaves A, C, D, E, G and H are mounted on the carriage H, sheave B is located on the fitting plate 44 which is adapted to slide along the guideway tracks l5 and sheaves F, I

and K are mounted on the way Hi. This particular arrangement of sheaves permits movement of the carriage ll over the way and the fitting plate 44 along the upper and lower tracks l6 and I! by the use of a single pulley line operated by the single drum winch 61.

- The general method of operating the apparatus is as follows:

After hydraulic loading of the ship has been completed, the fitting plate 44 is raised along the lower tracks [1 by winding the single line pulley 65 on the winch drum 61 until the catch notch 57- in the fitting plate 44 is engaged by the plate catch 55. During this operation, the carriage II is prevented from moving up the inclined I- beams [9 by the carriage catch members 36a and 36b whose hook-shaped arms 31a and 31b engage the slots 4 la and 4Ib in the top flanges 26a of the I-beams 19. With the fitting plate 44 retained on the carriage face plate 42, the pulley line 65 is slacked on? to permit disengagement of the carriage catch members 36aand 36b from the slots Ma and 4| b. By further winding this line about the winch drum 61, the carriage H is pulled inboard over the I-beams l9 to its uppermost position where the hook-shaped arms 31a and 31b of the carriage catch members 36a and 36b are madeto engage the slots M0 and Hd of the I-beams l9. While the carriage is being moved over the I-beams l9, stops 69 located at' the top of the face plate 42 prevent the fitting plate 44 from further movement upwards. It is to be noted that during this operation the lower end of the suction pipe 3|, not shown in the drawings, is simultaneously being raised and moved inboard by an appropriate means such as a stiff-legged crane of the standard type'used on sand carrying ships. In order to position the upper end of the suction pipe 3| with respect to the intake opening [8, the above procedure is merely reversed.

Having described the invention as related to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is intended that the invention be not limited to any of the details of description unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for positioning equipment relative to the side of a ship, comprising: a way mounted on a deck of the ship, the way having one end substantially adjacent the side of the Ship and extending inwardly therefrom; a carriage mounted on the way for movement between a position with a face of the carriage substantially aligned with the side of the ship and a position inwardly therefrom; a guideway having an upper portion mounted on the face of the carriage and a lower portion secured to the side of the ship, said portions being divisible from each other; a plate to which equipment may be secured, said plate being positioned for travel along the guideway; a carriage stop for arresting the movement of the carriage toward the side of the ship when the upper and lower portions of the guideway are substantially aligned; a carriage catch for preventing movement of the carriage when the face is substantially aligned with the side of the ship and while the plate is located along the lower portion of the guideway; and means for moving the carriage over the way and for moving the plate along the guideway when the upper and lower portions thereof are in substantial alignment.

2. The positioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the way slopes downwardly toward a side of the ship and a single line pulley system is used to move the carriage over the way and the plate along the guideway. V

3. Apparatus for positioning equipment relative to the side of a ship, comprising: a way mounted on a deck of the ship and slopingkdownwardly toward a side of the ship, the way having its low end substantially adjacent the side and extending inwardly therefrom; a carriage mounted on the way for movement between a position with a faceof the carriage substantially aligned with the side of the ship and a position inwardly therefrom; a guideway having an upper portion mounted on the face and a lower portion secured to the side of the ship, said portions being divisible from each other; a plate to which the equipment may be secured, said plate being positioned for travel along the guideway; a releasable plate catch for retaining the plate in the upper portion of the-guideway; and a single line pulley system for moving the carriage over the way and for moving the plate along the guidei In a ship having a dredge pump intake opening in its side and asuction pipe for conducting a mixture of sand and water from the bottom of a body of water to the opening, ap-

paratus for positioning one end of the suction pipe relative to the intake opening, comprising: a way mounted on a deck of the ship and sloping downwardly. toward a side of the ship, the way having its low end substantially adjacent the, side and the other end located inwardly therefrom and said side having an intake open--v ing therein; a carriage slidably mounted on the way for movement from a position with a face substantially aligned with'the side of the ship to a position inwardly therefrom; a pair of substantially parallel continuous tracks. having an 8 upper portion mounted on the face of the carriag'e and a lower portion separable from the upper portion and iixed in position along the side'of the ship at opposite sides of the intake opening; a plate sl-idably mounted between the tracks, said plate having one end of the suction pipe mounted thereon and having an opening therein substantially aligned with the end of the suction pipe; a carriage stop for arrestingthe' movement of the carriage toward the side of the ship when the upper and lower portionsof the tracks are in substantial alignment; a

carriage catch adapted to retain the carriage in,

plate opening flush with the intake opening; and

a single line pulley system for moving the carriage over the way and for moving the plate along the tracks when the upper and lower portions thereof are substantially aligned.

ROY A. BRINKMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date l','l'76,9,56 Taylor Sept. 30, 1930 2,527,060 Dohn r Oct. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 304,543 Great Britain Jan. 24, 192 9 

